Life and Deeds of Martin Luther - Research Paper Example

? LIFE OF MARTIN LUTHER By Lecturer: of Affiliation: and Table of Contents Introduction 3 Earlier Life OfMartin Luther Before He Became A Preacher 3 Events That Took Place Prior To Martin’s Conversion 4 Events That Took Place Prior To Martin’s Conversion 4 The Need For Reformation Of the Church 5 The Accomplices Of Martin Luther 7 Goals For Reforming The Church 8 Luther’s Mission Across Varied Areas 10 The Reasons For Martin Luther Writing His Own Bible 11 The Type of Legacy Martin Luther Left 11 Conclusion 12 Bibliography 1 Life Of Martin Luther Introduction Martin Luther is among the outstanding Christianity theologians in history because he initiated the protestant reformation that contributed to varied changes. Martin Luther was born in 1483 at the Roman Catholic family in the small town of Eisleben, which is currently known as Southeast German1. His father was a farmer and he worked hard in order to ensure that their son had proper education; thus by 21 years old, Martin acquired master degree in Arts from the Erfurt University. Luther was convened as a revolutionary defender of the truth, and religious freedoms of Christians but some people viewed him as a religious rebellion leader. However, most of the contemporary Christians consent that martin influenced and shaped the protestant Christianity more than any leaders. Luther saw the necessity of reforming the church because he wanted to abolish the traditions, papacy laws and restore churches of Christ from perishing. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the life of Martin Luther, his accomplishments and the goals for reforming the church. Although Martin saw a need for protestant reform because of the schism within western Christianity, he wanted to abolish the traditions, papacy laws, promote unity and restore churches of Christ from perishing. Earlier Life OfMartin Luther Before He Became A Preacher Luther was unique and strong-willed person who did a lot to shape the face of Christianity to what it is today. His strong theological beliefs and ideas shaped him to lead a revolution with an aim of initiating Christianity during the Renaissance era2. Before Luther became a preacher, his parents wished him to become a lawyer; Luther enrolled in Erfurt university, which was one of the most significant universities in German and it was full of conflicts among the Renaissance humanists and the scholastics people, who practiced theology and philosophy. Luther joined in the faculty of philosophy where he embarked on both theology and law studies; therefore, this was the period when Luther read widely and graduated with a master degree. During the year 1505, the promising law career seemed certain and Luther rejected the world; thus he decided to become a preacher. Additionally, despite the disappointment from the parents for not being a lawyer, Luther experienced a conversation of having been struck by a bolt of lightning. Martin began to study law in order to fulfill the dreams of his father that his son will one day became lawyer. However, Martin had a terrible thunderstorm that narrowly struck him to death; thus he eventually cried to God and promised to live as preacher3. Although this opinion did not please his parents, Martin decided to change the course of his future despite the strong disappointments from his parents. Luther started learning theology and one time when he was sitting in his room, he started reading the bible randomly. Luther became to a passage in the manuscript of Roman 1: 17, which was from Saint Paul revealing that the justice from God can be revealed to those who only has faith because it is through faith that the just shall live forever4. Events That Took Place Prior To Martin’s Conversion Prior to Martin’s conversion, the events that drastically altered the course of Luther’s life took place near Stotterheim. The law student was altered into a humble preacher seeking for the grace of God. The awful thunderstorm struck Luther when he was on his way back to Erfurt University after the visit of his parents and Luther fell into the ground. This was the period when he called Saint Anne; hence promised to become a preacher5. This was the first great event that changed his life because after the thunderstorm, Luther felt that it was the hand of God that struck him. He felt that the hand of God was everything; thus he cried unto God and decided to reconcile his faith from the worldly ambitions to follow Jesus Christ. Luther wanted to become a preacher because he was saved by the grace of God from a terrible thunder. However, historians assume that Luther had played about the idea of becoming a preacher even before the thunderstorm struck near him6. Additionally, Luther decided to become a priest; thus the conversation of Luther can be compared to the account of Saul when he was struck by lightning and became blind because of his bad deeds. This was the period when God spoke to Saul asking him why he has forsaken thee; but later Saul changed his name to Paul and started preaching the gospel of God to his people. Luther relieved his worry and joined the Hermits Order in order to protect himself from the earthly distractions. This is where Luther believed that he could find the way to heaven; thus he fasted and prayed without ceasing. Luther joined the faculty of philosophy after the transfer to Wittenberg; thus he became a leader and struggled in making Wittenberg a humanism hub instead of scholasticism. Eventually Luther became more interested in preaching about Christianity and devoted himself to knowing and discovering more about God. The Need For Reformation Of the Church Martin saw a need for reformation of the church because he wanted to abolish the traditions, papacy laws and restore churches of Christ from perishing. Luther was the minister of Protestantism and he opposed the religious practices of the Roman Catholic Church because of the conviction that pope was Anti-Christ7. Luther argued that the papacy laws and doctrines contributed to increased sins in the church; thus the need for restoration of church. Although the Roman Catholicism and eastern orthodoxy have basically same doctrines, Luther seemed to believe that the church needed to be doctrinally reformed even before the Great Schism8. Luther saw that the church was increasing becoming corrupt because he perceived that there was real and false churches. Luther demanded to know some of the fundamental doctrines of Roman Catholicism and his followers soon divided from the Roman Catholicism to the protestant convention. Martin also saw a need for protestant reform because of the schism within western Christianity; thus he and other reformers protested against the rituals, leadership, ecclesiastical arrangements and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. This reformation led to the formation of new protestant churches but the restructuring of church contributed by earlier events in Europe including the deaths of black people and western schism eroded the faith of many Catholic Church believers. Some factors including the spread of renaissance notions, papacy doctrines and the collapse of eastern Roman sovereign also contributed to the establishment of new Protestantism. The protestant reformation movement was the most activist event that occurred in the 16th century and it was led by Luther and other reformers9. It was through this reformation that forced people to make choice of being ether Protestants or Catholics because there was no other alternative; thus one could die or live based on such choices. There was a need for reformation because many dedicated Christians found out that the church’s increasing emphasis on rituals was unsupportive for the mission of Christians about their personal salvation. Many people lost their faith in God and there was increased shift of salvation of the whole groups to something of personal; thus many Christians lost their faith in God. The aspect of sacraments became a sort of ritualized behavior and the papacy laws had lost much of their spiritual influences over its people due to increased tendency towards secularization. Martin saw that the bishops and pope were acting more like kings and princes; thus the poor resented the wealth of the papacy. The papacy government bought and sold high offices, which made them rich; something that contributed to abuses of every sort among the jealous church officials. This is because the clergy and other church officials became corrupt, lax and immoral; hence the need for church reformation. The paradox of the church is based on the biblical context that the church is the sinless bride of Christ; thus Matthew 16: 18-10 attempts to warm Christians that there would be wolves among the sheep10. The Accomplices Of Martin Luther The accomplices of Martin included his followers who had already understood his teachings; thus they worked together in accomplishing the mission of transforming the church. Some of his accomplices included John Calvin, Jan Hus, Huldreich Zwingli, John Knox, John Wycliffe and many other early Protestants. Martin and his followers challenged the corrupt Roman Catholic Church especially about the selling of indulgences issues. Luther managed to convince many people through his teachings; thus he had many followers who decided to follow him. Martin and his followers questioned the church doctrines of the Roman Catholic and demanded them to reveal where their doctrines are quoted in the bible. Luther held firmly his objection to any compulsion faith and his concern was always that the faith should be unimpeded. In his book Here I Stand, Luther was not so much the confessor as the mentor of confessors; thus it was through his courage, faith, chide, counsel and guidance that he managed to get many followers who helped him in the reformation of the church11. Goals For Reforming The Church One of the main goals of reforming the church was because Luther wanted the catholic religion to change their doctrines and live up to their faith. The reformation of the church was not for reforming the catholic religion but to reform the catholic doctrines and those authorities who professed catholic faith but did not live up to it; Luther led the restoration movement because he wanted to bring new change, the biblical focal point into congregational12. He challenged the faith of Roman Catholic by arguing that it is only the unbelievers who are called sinners by Christ; thus, the spirit will punish the world because of sin. Luther wanted unbelievers to understand that unbelief is called the head of the serpent; thus he quoted from the book of Genesis chapter 3 that Christ will crush the serpent as it was promised to Adam. Luther wanted the catholic believers to change their ways and stood up by faith; thus he argued that there is no faith in case there is no moral movements or good works. The book of John chapter 1 reveals that faith is a work of God in people; thus it can change them and bring them near to God. Faith kills the old Adam and brings the Holy Spirit, as well as, a new creature; thus Luther wanted to reform the church in order to make people understand this kind of faith. Secondly, another purpose or goal of reforming the church was to promote unity among the people because many of them had already divided. The conservative approach employed by Luther aimed to promote unity among people and this was through anticipating extreme reactions among people to these reforms13. Luther had recognized himself as both timid and tentative in his work; hence, one of the areas where he was timid can be apparently revealed in the configuration of his liturgies. Most of his liturgies do not present any kind of technical order of worship, the kind of work, which is commonly employed in the contemporary churches. Although Luther also had his opinions about the Christian doctrines, he strongly urged other church leaders to avoid any doctrinal differences that were unnecessary for deliverance14. This was for the sake of promoting unity among people and to avoid confusing or discouraging people about the conflicting ideas. Luther did not impose any overarching order of worship for varied churches but rather encouraged uniformity and unity within each distinct principality. This is because Luther did not want people to follow him but rather follow Christ; thus he urged people not to make any reference to him but call themselves Christians but not Lutherans. Lastly, the beliefs of Luther about justification by faith enabled him to question the self indulgences practices in the Catholic Churches; thus the need to reform these doctrines. One of the Catholic practices that Martin wanted to modify was the practices of sacraments. Although Luther expected assorted reactions of reforming the sacraments, there was no hesitation that that this was to be performed. The fundamentals truths of the gospel were being violated because the faith of the majority had been warped into shallow superstition. For instance, the strongest motivators for Christian devotion during the Roman Catholic Church mass were the notion of purgatory15. Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses, where he strongly argued about the power of indulgences and the authority of pope for extending this power to souls in purgatory. Luther’s Mission Across Varied Areas Luther did not stick to one area but he was determined to accomplish his mission of helping people to maintain peace just like the way Jesus Christ did while he was on earth. Therefore, Luther moved from one area to another including all parts of Europe, Italy and many others in order to preach to people about peace, unity and having true faith in Jesus Christ. He wanted people to emulate the example of Jesus Christ by loving each other and helping those who are in needy. He was determined to accomplish this mission; thus he fought peacefully and helped the black people who were suffering in the United States. Some people never wanted the black to have the same rights as whites, but Luther fought peacefully in order to ensure that everyone was treated equally16. Despite the several arrests from the police, he was determined to accomplish his mission; thus he was determined to make change peacefully. Luther continued to preach fervently by trying to fix the problems that happened while he was in the Wartburg Castle; therefore, he taught people by arguing that deliverance is not received through excellent deeds but rather earned as a free gift from God. In the New Testaments, Jesus Christ also taught people that salvation is received by the Grace of God through faith in Christ who redeems people from sins; thus Luther also emphasized the significant of having this faith in Jesus Christ. Eventually, Luther formed a group of faithful followers who understood what he believed, the doctrines that came to be recognized as the Wittenberg Theology17. The Reasons For Martin Luther Writing His Own Bible Martin wrote his own bible because he wanted to edit some of the scriptures and make them clearly understood. Luther wanted to empathize on the significant of reading the bible because it provides the truth of life and it is the only doctrine, which should be followed. For instance, Luther concluded in the book of Romans 3:28 that Christians are justified by faith from the actions of the commandment; he wanted to emphasize that faith without action is death. 18Christians believe that all scriptures in the bible were written by people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God; thus they have profitable doctrines. Luther believed that the bible should be used as the only doctrine because everything in it was spoken by God; he wrote his own bible in Germany arguing that he is confident that the words written in it are from Christ. His understandings on the way God viewed sinners brought Luther to the conflict with the Roman Catholic; thus he wrote his own bible in order to explain about the sale of indulgences issue. The Type of Legacy Martin Luther Left Luther is one of the most influential and controversial figures in the Protestant Reformation movement; thus he is honored for his life and legacy by Christian through committing themselves to keeping his dream alive. His actions cracked down the Roman Catholic Church into new Christianity cults and set in action reform within the church, Luther can be remembered as the father of the reformist and his great work of reforming the church is still appreciated19. Many Christians in the contemporary churches employ his doctrines because he was a theologian who wanted people to feel closer to God. His teaching and the need for reforming the church in order to promote peace, unity and faith is still recognized as the greatest custom for Christians. Luther can also be remembered for radically altering the relationship among church leaders and followers; thus many Christians still consider him as the most influential theologians20. Luther moved from one area to another including all parts of Europe, Italy and many others in order to preach to people about peace, unity and need for having faith. Conclusion In conclusion, although Martin saw a need for protestant reform because of the schism within western Christianity, he wanted to abolish the traditions, papacy laws, promote unity and restore churches of Christ from perishing. The research focused on the earlier life of Martin before he became a preacher, and also examined the event that took place prior to his conservations. The researcher argued that Martin saw a need for reformation of the church because he wanted to abolish the traditions, papacy laws, promote unity and restore churches of Christ from perishing. His accomplishes were his followers who had already understood his teachings; thus they worked together in accomplishing the mission of transforming the church. The main goals of reforming the church were the need to make the catholic religion change their doctrines, the need to promote unity among people and the need to reform catholic doctrines. Martin wrote his own bible because he wanted to edit some of the scriptures and make them clearly understood. The controversial figure in the Protestant Reformation movement is one of the legacies that will make him to be remembered as the outstanding theologians in the history of Christianity. Bibliography Bainton, Roland Herbert. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. Nashville, Parthenon Press, 1990. Brecht, Martin. Martin Luther. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1985. Burnet, Gilbert, and Nicholas Pocock. The History of the Reformation of the Church of England. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1865. Ferguson, Everett. Church History, Volume One: From Christ to Pre -Reformation. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2004. Haemig, Mary J. 2011. "Martin Luther's Understanding of God's Two Kingdoms: A Response to the Challenge of Skepticism - By William J. Wright". Religious Studies Review. 37, no. 2. Hilierbrand, Hans J. The Prostant Reformation. New York: Walker and Company, 1968. Lutzer, Erwin W. The Doctrines That Divide: A Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998. MacCulloch, Diarmaid. The Reformation. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. Marty, Martin. "Martin Luther." New York: Viking Penguin, 1976. Manns, Peter. Martin Luther: An Illustrated Biography. New York: Crossroad, 1982. Upsall, Henry &Luther, Florence.Martin Luther; Earth and Spirit Life, 126.Noblesville: Soul Craft Fellowship, 1958. Wabuda, Susan. 2007. "Monks, Miracles and Magic: Reformation Representations of the Medieval Church". Church History and Religious Culture. 87, no. 2: 254-255. Somervill, Barbara A. Martin Luther: Father of the Reformation. Minneapolis, Minn: Compass Point Books, 2006. Vischer, Lukas. Christian Worship in Reformed Churches Past and Present. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 2003. Read More